Unit for feeding stacked packing material to a packing machine

ABSTRACT

A unit for feeding stacked packing material to a packing machine. The unit has a group of containers, each for housing a respective stack of packing material; a first conveying device for feeding the group of containers along a first path; a pickup station located at the end of the path to remove a single container from the group of containers; a second conveying device for feeding a container along a second path as of the pickup station; and a feed station located along the second path to remove the stack of packing material from a container, and to feed the stack of packing material to the packing machine.

The present invention relates to a unit for feeding stacked packingmaterial to a packing machine.

The present invention may be used to advantage in a packing machine forproducing packets of cigarettes combined with coupons, to which thefollowing description refers purely by way of example.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the tobacco industry, packing machines for producing packets ofcigarettes combined with coupons are used, in which the coupons are fedto a packing line by a revolving loader normally located over thepacking machine and normally having longitudinal grooves housingrespective stacks of coupons. The loader is rotated about alongitudinal, normally vertical axis to selectively align the grooveswith the input of a normally vertical hopper, which receives one stackof coupons at a time, and has an output fitted with an extracting devicefor extracting and feeding the coupons one at a time to the packingline.

Feeding the coupons as described above has various drawbacks, on accountof the fairly limited capacity of the loaders, which must therefore bereplaced repeatedly during each operating cycle and require continualuse of skilled labour. Moreover, given their size and weight, assemblyof the loaders, which is normally performed by hand over the packingmachine, calls for considerable effort on the part of the fitters and,at times, also stoppage of the packing machine.

A packing machine has been proposed comprising a loading station havinga coupon input and a power take-off; and a coupon truck store having anumber of containers for respective stacks of coupons, and connectableremovably to the loading station to cooperate, when connected to theloading station, with the power take-off and successively move thecontainers through an unloading position, in which each container isengaged by an extracting device for extracting and transferring therelative stack to the coupon input. The total loading capacity of thecoupon stack feed unit of the truck store described above, however, isrelatively small in proportion to the total size involved.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a unit for feedingstacked packing material to a packing machine, designed to eliminate theabove drawbacks and which, in particular, is cheap and easy to produce.

According to the present invention, there is provided a unit for feedingstacked packing material to a packing machine, as claimed in theattached claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A non-limiting embodiment of the present invention will be described byway of example with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic side view, with parts removed for clarity, of apreferred embodiment of the feed unit according to the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic plan view, with parts removed for clarity, ofthe FIG. 1 feed unit;

FIG. 3 shows a section along line III-III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 shows a view in perspective of a container of the FIG. 1 feedunit;

FIG. 5 shows a schematic side view, with parts removed for clarity, of afurther embodiment of the FIG. 1 feed unit;

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view in perspective, with parts removed forclarity, of a further embodiment of the FIG. 1 feed unit.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Number 1 in FIGS. 1 to 3 indicates as a whole a packing material feedunit for feeding stacks 2 of coupons to a packing machine (not shown).Feed unit 1 comprises a number of containers 3 arranged to define agroup 4 of containers 3; group 4 comprises a number of side by sidecolumns 5 of containers 3, each column comprising a number ofsuperimposed containers 3 (FIG. 1); and each container 3 isparallelepiped-shaped and contains a stack 2 of coupons.

Feed unit 1 also comprises a conveying device 6 for feeding group 4 ofcontainers 3 along a path P1 in a travelling direction 7; and a pickupstation 8 located at the end of path P1 to remove one container 3 fromgroup 4 of containers 3. A conveying device 9 is located at pickupstation 8 to feed each container 3 along a path P2 having a verticalinitial portion perpendicular to path P1. A feed station 10 is locatedalong path P2, where the stack 2 of coupons inside a container 3 isexpelled from container 3 and fed to the packing machine. Downstreamfrom conveying device 9, a belt conveyor 11 extends from feed station 10to receive and feed a stack 2 of coupons to the packing units (notshown) of the packing machine, and is preferably integrated in thepacking machine.

Conveying device 6 comprises a horizontal surface 12 supporting group 4of containers 3 in sliding manner; and a feed device 13 for pushinggroup 4 of containers 3 along path P1, at the end of which, pickupstation 8 removes from the bottom of a column 5 of containers 3 thecontainer 3 resting directly on horizontal surface 12. Morespecifically, pickup station 8 comprises a through hole 14 formedthrough horizontal surface 12; and a closing device 15 movable between aclosed position preventing passage of a container 3 through hole 14, andan open position permitting passage of a container 3 through hole 14.

As shown in FIG. 2, feed device 13 comprises two endless chains 16located on opposite sides of group 4 of containers 3, and eachsupporting a number of vertical push members 17. As shown in detail inFIG. 4, each container 3 comprises two connecting bodies 18 located atopposite ends of container 3, and which engage and slide freelyvertically along a respective pair of push members 17.

Conveying device 9 comprises a drum 19 rotating about a horizontal axisof rotation 20 perpendicular to the FIG. 2 plane. Drum 19 is locatedbeneath through hole 14, comprises a pusher 21 movable perpendicularlyto axis of rotation 20 of drum 19, and has a number of peripheral seats22, each for receiving a respective container 3. Each container 3comprises a rear wall 23 having a through opening 24 (FIG. 3), throughwhich pusher 21 moves to expel stack 2 of coupons from container 3. Morespecifically, drum 19 rotates between pickup station 8, where itreceives a container 3 inside a respective peripheral seat 22; feedstation 10, where it unloads stack 2 of coupons onto belt conveyor 11 bymeans of a horizontal movement of pusher 21; and an unloading station25, where it unloads the empty container 3 inside a collecting space 26for empty containers 3.

In the FIG. 2 embodiment, feed unit 1 comprises a conveying device 27located beneath drum 19 and for receiving the empty container 3 bygravity from drum 19, and transferring the empty container 3 fromconveying device 9 to collecting space 26. In an alternative embodimentnot shown, conveying device 27 is dispensed with, and collecting space26 is located beneath drum 19 to receive containers 3 by gravitydirectly from drum 19.

In an alternative embodiment shown in FIG. 5, feed unit 1 comprises aconveying device 28 for receiving an empty container 3 from conveyingdevice 9, and feeding the empty container 3 to a return station 29. Abelt conveyor 30 is interposed between conveying device 9 and conveyingdevice 28, to transfer empty containers 3, along a path P3 parallel topath P1 and in a travelling direction 31 opposite travelling direction7, between unloading station 25 at conveying device 9, and a loadingstation 32 at conveying device 28. Belt conveyor 30 comprises two sideby side, endless belts 33 (only one shown in FIG. 5); and a pusher 34located between the two belts 33 at loading station 32, and movableperpendicularly with respect to travelling direction 31.

Return station 29 is located along path P1, on the opposite side topickup station 8, and reinserts the empty container 3 inside group 4 ofcontainers 3, at the bottom of a column 5 of containers 3, and directlyonto horizontal surface 12. Return station 29 comprises a through hole35 formed through horizontal surface 12; and a closing device 36 movablebetween a closed position preventing passage of a container 3 throughhole 35, and an open position permitting passage of a container 3through hole 35.

Conveying device 28 comprises a rotary drum 37, which is located beneaththrough hole 35, comprises a pusher 38 movable perpendicularly to anaxis of rotation 39 of drum 37, and has a number of peripheral seats 40,each for receiving an empty container 3. More specifically, drum 37rotates between loading station 32, where it receives an empty container3 inside a respective peripheral seat 40 by means of an upward movementof pusher 34, and return station 29, where it moves container 3 throughhole 35 onto horizontal surface 12 by means of an upward movement ofpusher 38.

In a further embodiment shown in FIG. 6, feed unit 1 is mounted on atrolley 41 comprising a number of wheels 42, and a frame 43 supportingconveying device 6, group 4 of containers 3, and conveying device 9.

Feed unit 1 as described above is cheap and easy to produce, and isextremely compact in relation to its considerable storage capacity.

Given its numerous advantages, feed unit 1 as described above may alsobe used to advantage on other automatic machines for packing productsother than cigarettes, and for supplying the automatic machines with anytype of packing material other than coupons. For example, feed unit 1 asdescribed above may be used for feeding labels to a bottling machine orfood labels to a food packing machine.

1) A unit for feeding stacked packing material to a packing machine; theunit (1) comprises a group (4) of containers (3), each for housing arespective stack (2) of packing material, and a first conveying device(6) for feeding the group (4) of containers (3) along a first path (P1);and the unit is characterized by comprising a pickup station (8) locatedat the end of the path (P1) to remove a single container (3) from thegroup (4) of containers (3); a second conveying device (9) for feeding acontainer (3) along a second path (P2) as of the pickup station (8); anda feed station (10) located along the second path (P2) to remove thestack (2) of packing material from a container (3), and to feed thestack (2) of packing material to the packing machine. 2) A unit asclaimed in claim 1, wherein the group (4) of containers (3) comprises anumber of side by side columns (5) of containers (3), and each columncomprises a number of superimposed containers (3). 3) A unit as claimedin claim 2, wherein the first conveying device (6) comprises ahorizontal surface (12) supporting the group (4) of containers (3) insliding manner; and a feed device (13) for pushing the group (4) ofcontainers (3) along the first path (P1); and the pickup station (8)removes from the bottom of a column (5) of containers (3) the container(3) resting directly on the horizontal surface (12). 4) A unit asclaimed in claim 3, wherein the pickup station (8) comprises a throughhole (14) formed through the horizontal surface (12); and a closingdevice (15) movable between a closed position preventing passage of acontainer (3) through the through hole (14), and an open positionpermitting passage of a container (3) through the through hole (14). 5)A unit as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second conveying device (9)comprises a first drum (19) rotating about an axis (20) of rotation, andhaving a number of peripheral seats (22), each for receiving a container(3). 6) A unit as claimed in claim 5, wherein the first drum (19)comprises a pusher (21) movable perpendicularly to the axis (20) ofrotation of the first drum (19); and each container (3) comprises athrough opening (24) formed through a rear wall (23) of the container(3) and through which the pusher (21) moves. 7) A unit as claimed inclaim 1, wherein a collecting space (26) is provided to receive theempty containers (3). 8) A unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein thesecond conveying device (9) transfers an empty container (3) directly tothe collecting space (26). 9) A unit as claimed in claim 7, wherein athird conveying device (27) is provided to transfer an empty container(3) from the second conveying device (9) to the collecting space (26).10) A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein a fourth conveying device (28)is provided to receive an empty container (3) from the second conveyingdevice (9), and to feed the empty container (3) to a return station (29)where the empty container (3) is reinserted inside the group (4) ofcontainers (3). 11) A unit as claimed in claim 10, wherein the returnstation (29) is located along the first path (P1), on the opposite sideto the pickup station (8). 12) A unit as claimed in claim 11, whereinthe group (4) of containers (3) comprises a number of side by sidecolumns (5) of containers (3), and each column comprises a number ofsuperimposed containers (3); the first conveying device (6) comprises ahorizontal surface (12) supporting the group (4) of containers (3) insliding manner, and a feed device (13) for pushing the group (4) ofcontainers (3) along the first path (P1); the pickup station (8) removesfrom the bottom of a column (5) of containers (3) the container (3)resting directly on the horizontal surface (12); and the return station(29) inserts an empty container (3) into the bottom of a column (5) ofcontainers (3), so that the empty container rests directly on thehorizontal surface (12). 13) A unit as claimed in claim 12, wherein thereturn station (29) comprises a through hole (35) formed through thehorizontal surface (12); and a closing device (36) movable between aclosed position preventing passage of a container (3) through thethrough hole (35), and an open position permitting passage of acontainer (3) through the through hole (35). 14) A unit as claimed inclaim 13, wherein the fourth conveying device (28) comprises a rotarysecond drum (37) having a number of peripheral seats (40), each forreceiving a container (3). 15) A unit as claimed in claim 14, whereinthe second drum (37) comprises a pusher (38) movable perpendicularly toan axis (39) of rotation of the second drum (37). 16) A unit as claimedin claim 1, wherein the first conveying device (6) comprises ahorizontal surface (12) supporting the group (4) of containers (3) insliding manner, and a feed device (13) for pushing the group (4) ofcontainers (3) along the first path (P1); the feed device (13) comprisestwo endless chains (16) located on opposite sides of the group (4) ofcontainers (3) and supporting a number of push members (17); and eachcontainer (3) comprises two connecting bodies (18) located at oppositeends of the container (3) and which engage a respective pair of pushmembers (17). 17) A unit as claimed in claim 16, wherein each connectingbody (18) engages a push member (17) so as to slide freely along thepush member (17). 18) A unit as claimed in claim 1, wherein a movabletrolley (41) is provided, and comprises a frame (43) supporting thefirst conveying device (6), the group (4) of containers (3), and anumber of wheels (42). 19) A unit as claimed in claim 18, wherein theframe supports the second conveying device (9).